Home Alone with Too Much Cauliflower!

We are now entering that glorious time in Cornwall when the centres of operation of major supermarkets fail to come to terms with the huge drop in customers once the tourists have left the area. The shops are overstocked and what bargains we glean!

A few days ago my real man gleaned quite a bag full including a lovely cauli for 10p which is great but I already had a lovely cauliflower in the fridge and he was going away for a short while to visit an ailing cousin – he’s back in a few hours, yippee – so I had to cope with it on my own. 

This gave me a chance to play with my food, sorry Daddy, and this is what I came up with.

Roasted Cauliflower “Steak”

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This is something I've wanted to try for years but never got round to which is shame because it's lovely. I decided rather than start researching into what must be a simple thing I’d wing it.

~   Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/180C fan/gas 6.

~   Cut a slice or more of cauliflower, crosswise and about 2cm/¾” thick.
~   Coat slice(s) with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
~   Lay in a shallow roasting tin and cook for about 20-25 minutes, turning halfway through, till just tender and prettily golden.

It worked ...

What does one do with a roasted cauliflower slice?  Well it could be a side dish or perhaps an alternative cauliflower pizza base (I often read of these  but don’t fancy them; sort of cooked cauli and cheese pressed into a pizza shape).  A vibrant dressing would be good on it  with cauli enhancing flavours such as garlic, capers, olives or walnuts but I decided to savour it with smoked garlic, fresh sage, (I took a cutting from the enormous bunch my neighbour gave me a while ago) and Parmesan. 

Roasted cauliflower is surprisingly delicious so whilst the oven was on I also roasted some florets which took just about 15 minutes.

Roasted Cauliflower Curry – for 2 as the main dish

 1 small cauliflower broken into florets and roasted as above
1 large onion
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp curry paste
a squeeze of lemon juice
fresh cilantro – if possible

~   Peel and halve the onion. Cut crosswise into thin half moons.
~   Heat the oil in a small pan and toss the onion slices in it separating the layers.
~   Carefully cover the onions with a piece of foil (or a butter wrapper) to cover completely.
~   Turn down the heat to low and cook gently, stirring from time to time, till the onions are completely soft and maybe just starting to caramelise.
~   Stir in the curry paste and lemon juice and cook a couple of minutes more.
~   Taste and season (remembering that the roasted cauliflower is already seasoned) and spoon the spicy onions over the roasted cauliflower florets.
~   Sprinkle with chopped cilantro – if you can.

Cauliflower Cheese Fritters

These are a good idea which I have already written about here.

Cauliflower Soup – for 4-6

Especially good as the weather is turning colder (I just put the heating on for the first time since the spring). This is, of course, based on my genius recipe for soup.

1 onion cooked as above in the curry recipe

1 tsp minced garlic
500g peeled floury potatoes such as King Edward or Maris Piper – thinly sliced

1 head cauliflower – divided into florets
500ml or more good stock
a little double cream optional
salt and pepper

~   When the onions are almost tender add the garlic and continue cooking a little longer.
~   Add potato, and enough stock to just cover it.
~   Bring to a boil, cover the pan, turn down the heat and cook till the potatoes are almost tender.
~   Add almost the cauliflower and cook gently till that too is tender.

~   Purée the soup adding more stock and cream till the soup is just the way you like it.

~   Taste and adjust the seasoning.

A few more ideas for Cauliflower …

~   Cauliflower Cheese, naturally – cook the cauli al dente, drain well and toss in hot cheese sauce, sprinkle with more cheese and breadcrumbs and bake till hot, bubbling, crisp and golden.

~   Salad – turn freshly cooked still hot and just tender florets in a vinaigrette and chill till needed..

~   Coat just cooked florets in a batter and deep fry.
~   Reheat cooked cauliflower in a little cream together with a scraping of nutmeg which goes very well with this vegetable.
~   Sauté cooked cauliflower in a little butter together with garlic, stir in grated cheese and serve on toast. I have had enormous success (well I thought so) doing this using black garlic and St. Agur blue cheese. Oh yum!

In Other News …

~   Despite the cooler weather our primroses are still flowering – I’d like to know what their plans are for the spring!

Marmalade on ... Salmon!

~  Menu  ~

Courgette & Lemon Fritters

Hot Smoked Salmon in Roasted Garlic Mayonnaise

Small glass of Sauvignon Blanc

Coffee

Sticky Toffee Sauce Scrapings

We bought a side of hot smoked salmon, half price, the other day which I portioned and froze all except one piece which I had for dinner that night.  It had been sold with slices of orange and a sachet of orange glaze which I didn't want to open for just one piece (or possibly at all).  I was about to stick my bit of fish in the oven when I remembered the remains of a jar of marmalade in the cupboard so I brushed the top of my salmon with this before baking.  Gorgeous! but of course too much for me to finish in one sitting.

We had also bought a few baby courgettes so today I made courgette fritters as per my all purpose fritter recipe which I flavoured with grated lemon zest. I served it, to myself, topped with the leftover smoked salmon turned in a spoonful of roasted garlic mayonnaise - one of my store cupboard staples.

Lucky girl me. 

Clearing up after lunch I found a Sticky Toffee Sauce pan from last night with just a little sauce left in it.  To be frank I had kept this back purposely as I was going to suggest my real man cook his morning porridge in it for a little added je ne sais quoi but forgot to tell him about it this morning.  So I scraped the pan and ate it myself for lunch pudding, with a cup of coffee!

Now I know this post isn't very informative inasmuch as there are no new recipes (although some links to earlier recipes) but it does demonstrate how with a combination of imagination and greed, a collection of bits, pieces, leftovers and bargains can make a lovely sudden lunch.

I love cooking with leftovers, they inspire me so much!  I have even written a book about them, Creative Ways to Use Up Leftovers in which I give all the recipes, ideas, handy hints, cook's treats and more that I can think of for 450 potential leftovers.
  

Read more here.

I am also inspired by a bargain! Here is a pineapple we bought yesterday, not quite ripe as it happens! 

You may remember I had myself a little rant the other day about best before dates.  I confuse myself because when we get something like this fine pineapple I am simultaneously delighted and cross - strange feeling!  I have started a collection of irritating, wonderful bargains on Pinterest ~ Best Before, or it it?

.  

"The Oxford Companion to Food" by Alan Davidson

~  Menu  ~

Cauliflower & Cornish Crackler Fritters

Spicy Tomato Sauce

Glass of Secret Red

Last night I cooked too much cauliflower and was going to sneak it into tonight’s veggies to go with my Real Man’s Mince & Dumplings but I had a better idea.

Cauliflower & Cheddar Fritters 

I made this up as I went along but had the presence of mind to notice what I was doing for once!

2 tbsp self raising flour

30g grated Cheddar – I used lovely Cornish Crackler

salt and pepper to taste

1 egg

a little milk

100g cooked cauliflower – in small pieces

~   Mix together the flour, cheese and seasonings.

~   Stir in the egg and then add enough milk to make a very soft dough (or, possibly, a very thick batter).

~   Stir in the cauliflower.

~   Drop tablespoonfully into a little hot olive oil and fry till crisp and golden on both sides.

I topped these with a big spoonful of spicy tomato pasta sauce which I always keep in my store cupboard.  It occurs to me that these fritters would work, with flavour adjustments, for 100g of all sorts of leftovers!

I have just been to the library and collected The Oxford Companion to Food – luckily I had my real man with because it is HUGE!  

I cannot conceive of the mind of Mr. Alan Davidson who has compiled so much food info.  It’s phenomenal!

I looked up Lunch, although I thought I already knew what it is and discovered that …”there are few foreign equivalents” to lunch as most countries consider midday a good time for their main meal.  I learnt that our modern meal of lunch dates back to the early 19^th century when it was a meal mainly partaken by women or ladies who lunch.  I am delighted to read that many 19^th century lunches appear to have been “collations of leftovers” but not that “British lunch has generally lacked gastronomic interest” – well not here!  

Having aspired to become one of the “lunch-eating classes” I am determined to make the most of the meal.

I have just dipped into this wonderful book so far - it is very interesting and informative but tiring on the arms.